Our monthly meeting was held in the Chamber in Bray, located in Bray Town Hall. Members of the public are permitted to attend and the venue is wheelchair accessible however it is not streamed online which is something that I hope we can achieved in the future. There was good discussion and a number of important updates which I have tried to detail these in this report. I hope you find helpful.
Housing Report
Part Vs
Part V’s are homes that the Council have accessed in New Developments. Every time new homes are built, 20% must be made available to the Council for Social & Affordable homes. This means that every new estate will have a mixture of private and social homes, often referred to as mixed tenure. In the Bray MD District, 43 homes are coming on stream in next 3 months which will be a mixture of 1, 2 and 3 beds in various locations in Bray North and South.
25 homes in North Bray will be ready for allocation in November. 18 more in Bray South have been pushed back to January.
These are all very much welcome in our District as the Council owns very little land in the Bray MD area so our ability to build social or affordable homes like in the past is very limited.
Parnell Road (Central Garage site)
Tuath Housing are an Approved Housing Body who are developing the Central Garage Site on the Main Street in Bray. This is due to be what is developed as ‘Age Friendly’ housing which will allow those over the age of 60 years to move in from the Councils Housing List or to downsize from larger Council or AHB homes. 17 apartments are being constructed which they hope to deliver in Q1 2026.
Kilbride Lodge and Sutton Villas.
Kilbride Lodge and Sutton Villas are being developed by an Approved Housing Body called Respond. Legal issues with site have caused delays with the development will not expected to begin until 2025.
Rehills Lands, Lower Dargle Road.
This is one of the last pieces of land in Bray owned by the Council. All Councillors agreed in the last term that only a development that provided Affordable Purchase homes would be approved by the Councillors on this site as we are desperately in need of homes that are available for purchase at discounted rates. The biggest challenge for this site is how to fund the bridge to access it as putting the cost of this onto the homes would mean that they would not be affordable. Pre-stage 1, feasibility and preliminary design are currently being worked on. Funding for access bridge is being reviewed.
Fassaroe
A contractor has been appointed to develop 13 homes in Fassaroe. This will begin in Q1 of 2025.
FCA Land Rockbrae
In 2022 Simon Coveney, when he was Minister for Defence, arranged for the lands to be transferred to Wicklow County Council as they were no longer required by the military. The intention since then by the Council has been to develop these lands into homes. As mentioned previously land in Council ownership is extremely scare in the district.
Proposed is a development of approximately 54 homes in the old FCA lands. Preliminary Design are being finalised with expected Stage 1/ pre-Part 8 before Christmas. There will be tree and shrub removal process beginning in the next 2 weeks to allow for further site investigation and planning. The area will bring much needed homes, but its development will also address anti-social issues that those living nearby have had to experience and is very much welcomed.
Lauderdale Estate
This will see the development of 6 homes. Stage 1/ pre-Part 8 is expected before Christmas.
Homeless Services - evenings and weekends.
I called again for the issue of Out of Hours homeless services to be addressed and detailed guidance to be provided. I noted that we had written to Wicklow County Council last month on the matter with no response which is not satisfactory and must be addressed.
ARK Housing
Ark Housing was raised at the meeting as this Approved Housing Body which is based in Bray and provided housing and tenancy supports to over 40 families is not in receipt of staff funding and relies solely on donations and monies raised through the charity shop at Bray Recycle Centre.
As the former Chairperson of Ark Housing and a current Board member I am fully aware of the challenges we face, the amazing work we do and the fantastic volunteers we have so very much welcomed the discussion. However due to my involvement with the charity I removed myself from the chamber during the discussions so as not to create any conflict of interest. I am thankful to my fellow Councillors for raising this matter and hope for their ongoing support as we (the charity) try to secure a stable funding stream and continue this important work.
Draft Budgetary Plan
The Draft Budgetary Plan for the Municipal District of Bray for the financial year ending 31st December 2025 was presented to the members. This is part of the budgetary process within the Council system. Each District is required to approve an element of budget which forms the overall Council Budget which will be put before the Councillors in Wicklow County Council on the 25th of November for approval.
It is separate to the Discretionary Budget which is in place because of LPT (Local Property Tax) and where Councillors have much more influence on how it is spent. It is also different to the full budget which will be present in Wicklow on the 25th of November, where again Councillors have much more influence.
This element of the budget process is very much for information in my view and covers the specific allocation made to the District for Councillors allowances, Civic receptions, twinning, festivals and economic development
District Engineer’s report on Roads, Transport, Public Realm projects
Due to a technical issue the full report was not available for the meeting. The District Engineer provided a verbal update and the following items were raised by myself and other Councillors.
Road issues raised as follows.
Traffic survey on Parnell Road / Davitt Road areas. The survey results have been issued to some residents but the information is not clear. I called on the Council to issue to report to all Councillors and to give greater detail so that it can be fully reviewed and a plan of action developed.
Seafront crossings at Butler & Barry. Continued frustration at the illegal parking on these crossings. It was confirmed that the new bollards will be installed shortly.
New pedestrian crossing at Putland Rd., confirmed that all paperwork has been submitted and awaiting on the ESB to connect.
Recent works at Killarney Road near Ballywaltrim Lane. Confirmed that there has been a temporary resurface done and a full resurface will be carried out and paving replaced. The Engineer confirmed that additional investigation works are required and that this will require the closing of the Killarney Road at Glenlucan. Works will be limited to the weekend to try and reduce disruption and occur in the coming weeks. Advance notice will be given.
Road restoration works at Wolfe Tone, St. Peters Road and Eglinton Road have been deferred until the new year due to contract availability and possible weather issues, and to reduce any impact on traffic in the Christmas / Winter period.
Restoration works at Cuala Road, Roselawn and a section of the Meath Road will proceed.
Revised speed limits were to be put in place and signage installed across the district. This has been delayed until the new year in some areas.
Ballywaltrim Master Plan update.
Specifications and detailed drawings have been completed for drainage work at Ballywaltrim recreational fields. It is proposed that this work be carried out directly by Council staff and will commenced immediately.
Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk
This issue came up again for discussion at the Bray MD Chamber, having been raised in Wicklow County Council yesterday. This is no surprise as it is such an important issue for the community and something that is of real interest and concern to people.
The Engineer confirmed further the discussions that took place in Wicklow. They have met with Irish Rail who have shared some of their own findings. Some of these findings have indicated that there are further issues with the Cliff Walk that the Council were not fully aware of. They will be meeting with Irish Rail, the Bray & Greystones District staff and Wicklow County Council again on the 20th of November to discuss the issue and how to holistically approach the challenges that we are facing.
I made the following comments.
That the issue with the Cliff Walk is serious and as more information is discovered the issue becomes even more serious. That the Cliff Walk and our use of it in the past, may not be how we can us it in the future. That we need to as a community understand that there are serious challenges with erosion and that these are difficult to address.
I am aware of the work being carried out by groups who are keen to have the walk reopened. I am also aware of individuals who are going past barriers and removing these to access the walk. The situation remains, the Cliff Walk is closed because of rock slides and erosion and it is dangerous.
I asked that the Council provide regular information and updates in the situation with the Cliff Walk, details of issues and plans to address them. That this is done regularly and made available not just to Councillors but to the wider public as the current vacuum of information is creating disinformation and a view that it is closed for no reason at all and is perfectively safe to use. The Council have agreed to look at how these updates can be provided.
It should also be noted that after the elections the Council established a committee of Bray and Greystones Councillors and officials to work on this issue. I eagerly volunteered and joined as a member. There is room for Councillors to get involved. Not all expressed an interest but are now making statements on what should be done.
I would urge and welcome these Councillors to come on board, get involved and be part of addressing what is wrong, helping to find solutions and not just making press statements, It is easy to shout from the side lines, harder to pull up your selves, get involved and do the unseen work.
Christmas 2024 parking arrangements
It is proposed by Bray MD to offer free parking on Saturdays and Sundays in the Wicklow County Council Section of Herbert Road car park from 23rd November to 29th December.
I hope this report have given you some indication of what was discussed tonight. It is not a detailed report but I hope it is useful. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further detail.
Aoife
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